Teddy Stauffer | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Ernst Heinrich Stauffer |
Also known as | Ernest Henry Stauffer Teddy-Stauffer-Septett |
Born | Murten, Fribourg, Switzerland | 2 May 1909
Died | 27 August 1991 Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico | (aged 82)
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) |
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Ernst Heinrich "Teddy" Stauffer (2 May 1909 – 27 August 1991) was a Swiss bandleader, musician, actor, nightclub owner, and restaurateur. He was dubbed Germany's " swing-king" of the 1930s. He formed the band known as the Teddies (also known as the Original Teddies or the International Teddies), which continued after he left in 1941. [1]
After founding his "Original Teddies" band in Bern, Stauffer enjoyed great success in Berlin, especially during the 1936 Olympic Games. Annual trips to St. Moritz and Arosa, and a guest appearance in London, enhanced the international reputation of the Teddies band. The band recorded for the Telefunken label and made successful recordings of Big Band standards such as " Goody Goody" and " Jeepers Creepers," often featuring Swiss vocalist Billy Toffel. With his jazzy swing music, however, Stauffer increasingly got in trouble with the Reichsmusikkammer. [2] With the outbreak of war in 1939, Stauffer returned to his native Switzerland.
After the war, he emigrated to the United States and later to Acapulco, Mexico, where he became a hotel manager and remained until his death in 1991. During the 1950s, Stauffer became a key figure in the promotion of Acapulco as a resort for a wealthy and celebrity clientele, and was nicknamed "Mr. Acapulco." [3] He made guest appearances in several films, usually playing himself or a bandleader character. Stauffer was married five times, including brief marriages to actresses Faith Domergue and Hedy Lamarr.